1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to multimedia communications, and more particularly, to a network that provides variable, on-demand, data bandwidth, for communication sessions between any two or more computers (and/or users) using the network; and even more particularly, a network that provides such variable, on-demand, bandwidth cost effectively not only between computers (and/or users) connected locally (in the same building) using the network, but also between computers (and/or users) across great distances. The present invention effectively combines the usefulness of public packet-switched network infrastructures, such as the Internet, with public circuit-switched network infrastructures such as the public switched telephone network (PSTN), in such a way that a user can benefit from access to and control of both types of switching infrastructures from a single computer using a single, common and standard interface tool such as a web browser.
2. Description of the Related Art
Multimedia communications, such as video communication or video information publication and distribution, require sustained data throughput rates above 300 kbps and up to 6 Mbps to achieve image size, quality and frame rates similar to that of television. Achieving such high quality multimedia connections on-demand, across wide areas, with the bandwidth required for this type high quality video or other multimedia communication is impossible using conventional digital telephone services, such as BRI ISDN, that provide connections of only one or two switched bearer channels, (each of which provides a capacity of 64 kbps), or using analog switched telephone service with modems that provide even less capacity on each connection (usually less than 36 kbps). Even when multiple bearer channels are used to achieve greater bandwidth capacity. on connections using services such as PRI ISDN, or by combining multiple BRI ISDN connections, such higher bandwidth connections are difficult to achieve on a consistent or reliable basis because of the lack of standardized network interfaces, network switching mechanisms, and/or consistent end-point addressing schemes. Although emerging technologies such as ATM might eventually support such services ubiquitously across wide areas, a lack of public standards and very high cost of deployment limit the availability of ATM as an effective solution.
Conventional video conferencing and multimedia information distribution systems often aim at solving this problem by leasing dedicated, direct, permanent, point-to-point trunk lines between users"" computer sites, and by providing sophisticated proprietary hardware at each site. This requires substantial investment, requires users to schedule communication sessions carefully, and is not scalable to suit variable levels of on-demand use with consistent quality-of-service between individuals within arbitrary groups of users. Moreover, these systems often add new infrastructure requirements and large incremental traffic loads to a site""s existing local computer network infrastructure, such as LANs, thereby compromising the quality and reliability of more traditional data services previously available to those users.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for supplying multimedia communications over both local and wide areas using standard bearer channels with a system that provides scalable, variable bandwidth per session, and on-demand service while neither intruding upon, nor wastefully adding to, a site""s existing LAN network infrastructure or LAN traffic load. The present invention satisfies this need.
The present invention aims at providing broadband multimedia communication over the standard circuit-switched public switched telephone network infrastructure (PSTN) while simultaneously and transparently interoperating with the public Internet packet-switched infrastructure to effectively merge the capabilities of the two infrastructures into a seamless capability that can bring the benefits of using both types of existing switching infrastructures to large groups of users under the control of the same common and simple interface tools such as web browsers. The invention enables users to establish both packet-switched connections for sending or receiving content for which low-latency and unpredictable response times are not a problem (i.e. text, small graphics, e-mail, small file transfers); and circuit-switched connections for sending or receiving content that benefits from streaming data at fixed data rates, without contention for bandwidth from other users during a communication session, (i.e. video, voice, complex graphics and animations, or large file transfers).
The present invention also aims at providing a network control infrastructure that handles routing and billing of multimedia communication, at arbitrary bandwidths, using both the standard worldwide public telephone standards and infrastructure, and the public Internet standards and infrastructure.
The present invention further aims at providing on-demand local and wide-area broadband multimedia communication without intruding on, or requiring replacement of, existing on-site data communication infrastructures, such as LANs, or unnecessarily replacing any of the standard switching or transport infrastructure already in place in the existing PSTN.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a network that combines access to the public Internet for access to packet-switched services such as a user""s LAN and/or the Internet, and to the PSTN infrastructure for access to wide area point-to-point switched-circuit services, using a single physical access connection to an individual user, with seamless World Wide Web browser software control of both classes of service, and the use of Internet Protocol (IP) addressing to control circuit switching over the PSTN circuit switching and transport infrastructure.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide network control and user software to allow users, and software applications run by users, to choose on a connection-by-connection basis whether to use packet-switched connections or circuit-switched connections; and in the case of circuit switched connections, how much bandwidth (typically, how many bearer channels) to allocate to each connection.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a method for intercepting, processing, and displaying, high-speed/high quality video content that is sent and/or received over broadband networks using a workstation interface that is fully external to the user""s computer and that requires no additions or modifications of the user""s existing computer hardware to allow users to process, send and/or receive, and display high quality video on the user""s computer screen without requiring the aforementioned physical modifications or adaptations of the user""s existing computer.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a multimedia capable network that is able to provide end-to-end switched broadband connections on-demand in which individual connections and/or segments of individual connections may be switched through and/or between different (and often historically incompatible types of switching and transport methodologies). For example, one leg of a connection might be carried as Ethernet packets on a pseudo-isochronous dedicated ethernet connection, another carried as virtual bearer channels over a switched virtual circuit ATM connection, and yet another carried as switched physical bearer channels over conventional telecommunication facilities. The present invention provides generic end-to-end control, signaling translation, and data traffic translation means to combine such historically incompatible heterogenous classes of switching and transport resources into seamless broadband local and wide area switched broadband network capability.
To achieve these and other objects, the present invention often includes, but does not always require, an external workstation interface to a user""s existing computer workstation and/or multimedia information server, a premises switch, a city switch, and a network control system server and architecture.